109-467: U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 ( US 70 ) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,381 miles (3,832 km) from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona . It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern , Southern and Southwestern United States . Established as one of the original highways of 1926, it originally ran only to Holbrook, Arizona , then was extended in 1934 as
218-702: A controlled access highway until entering the foothills of the Organ Mountains . As a divided highway, U.S. 70 then crosses the Organ Mountains via San Augustin Pass, descends to the valley floor of the Tularosa Basin , and next crosses the White Sands Missile Range . Overhead missile tests can close the highway for a few hours; this generally happens once or twice a week, and typically only for an hour at
327-425: A banner such as alternate or bypass —are also managed by AASHTO. These are sometimes designated with lettered suffixes, like A for alternate or B for business. The official route log, last published by AASHTO in 1989, has been named United States Numbered Highways since its initial publication in 1926. Within the route log, "U.S. Route" is used in the table of contents, while "United States Highway" appears as
436-754: A coast to coast route, with the current eastern terminus near the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic, North Carolina , and the former western terminus near the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles, California . The current western terminus was then truncated to US 60 / SR 77 in Globe, Arizona . Before the completion of the Interstate system , U.S. Highway 70 was sometimes referred to as the "Broadway of America", due to its status as one of
545-514: A distinctively-shaped white shield with large black numerals in the center. Often, the shield is displayed against a black square or rectangular background. Each state manufactures their own signage, and as such subtle variations exist all across the United States. Individual states may use cut-out or rectangular designs, some have black outlines, and California prints the letters "US" above the numerals. One- and two-digit shields generally feature
654-742: A large ranch and farm in the canyon areas above La Luz. He had the Coronado Lodge constructed as a hunting lodge in Cottonwood Canyon out of native stone in the early 1920s. Hazzard also established the La Luz Pottery Works after discovery of rich clay deposits in La Luz Canyon. The pottery works were well known for the manufacture of clay roof tiles and other architectural components such as chimney pots as well as extremely large pottery vessels. The pottery works supplied contractors nationwide at
763-604: A main route. Odd numbers generally increase from east to west; U.S. Route 1 (US 1) follows the Atlantic Coast and US 101 follows the Pacific Coast. (US 101 is one of the many exceptions to the standard numbering grid; its first "digit" is "10", and it is a main route on its own and not a spur of US 1.) Even numbers tend to increase from north to south; US 2 closely follows the Canadian border, and US 98 hugs
872-461: A part of popular culture. US 101 continues east and then south to end at Olympia, Washington . The western terminus of US 2 is now at Everett, Washington . La Luz, New Mexico La Luz is a census-designated place (CDP) in Otero County , New Mexico , United States. The population was 1,615 at the 2000 census . It is located immediately north of Alamogordo and lies in
981-698: A part of the U.S. Numbered System." U.S. Route 3 (US 3) meets this obligation; in New Hampshire , it does not follow tolled portions of the Everett Turnpike . However, US Routes in the system do use parts of five toll roads: U.S. Routes in the contiguous United States follow a grid pattern, in which odd-numbered routes run generally north to south and even-numbered routes run generally east to west, though three-digit spur routes can be either-or. Usually, one- and two-digit routes are major routes, and three-digit routes are numbered as shorter spur routes from
1090-591: A rough grid. Major routes from the earlier map were assigned numbers ending in 0, 1 or 5 (5 was soon relegated to less-major status), and short connections received three-digit numbers based on the main highway from which they spurred. The five-man committee met September 25, and submitted the final report to the Joint Board secretary on October 26. The board sent the report to the Secretary of Agriculture on October 30, and he approved it November 18, 1925. The new system
1199-566: A speed limit of 75 miles per hour (U.S. 285 between Roswell and Vaughn is also posted at 75 miles per hour). U.S. 70 enters Texas joins with U.S. 60 and U.S. 84 . U.S. 60 splits off to the northeast in Farwell, just over the state line. U.S. 70/84 then angle southeast to Muleshoe , where the two routes split. U.S. 70 heads due east, meeting U.S. 385 at Springlake , and having an interchange with Interstate 27 in Plainview . U.S. 70 then arcs toward
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#17328733814221308-977: A ten-mile (16 km) overlap with U.S. 191 . U.S. 70 then runs an additional 37 mi (60 km). (59 km) before crossing into New Mexico east of Franklin . After entering the state of New Mexico, U.S. 70 heads southeast. Five miles (8 km) after crossing the state line, it serves as the southern terminus for New Mexico State Road 92 . U.S. 70 does not have another highway junction for 21 mi (34 km), where it meets State Roads 464 and 90 three miles (5 km) north of Lordsburg . At Lordsburg, U.S. 70 joins with Interstate 10 eastbound, splitting off in Las Cruces , and becoming Picacho Avenue in Las Cruces. When Picacho Avenue meets Main Street, US 70 follows Main Street northbound. U.S. 70 then crosses Interstate 25 , and has been upgraded at this point to
1417-518: A time when the Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style was at its height. Both the Coronado Lodge and the pottery works remain as fine examples of this type of architecture. The largest employer in the surrounding area is Holloman Air Force Base. La Luz itself is largely residential and agricultural in land use but a small market is located on the state maintained road that connects the village to Highway 70. La Luz has long been known for
1526-405: A time. The road then passes the entrance to White Sands National Park , and shortly after that passes the southern end of Holloman Air Force Base . It then turns northbound, and picks up a concurrency with U.S. 54 upon entering Alamogordo . On the north end of Alamogordo, US54/US70 intersects the beginning of U.S. Route 82 near La Luz . The concurrency with US 54 lasts until Tularosa , and
1635-519: A two-lane rural road as it travels close along the Core Sound . After passing the southern terminus of NC 12 (which connects to the Outer Banks ), near Sealevel , US 70 ends its seven state tour in the community of Atlantic . Most or all of the present route designated as U.S. Route 70 (or U.S. Highway 70 depending on the state) was earlier known as Lee Highway . During the earliest days of
1744-617: Is a north–south route, unlike its parent US 22 , which is east–west. As originally assigned, the first digit of the spurs increased from north to south and east to west along the parent; for example, US 60 had spurs, running from east to west, designated as US 160 in Missouri , US 260 in Oklahoma , US 360 in Texas , and US 460 and US 560 in New Mexico . As with
1853-436: Is a spur off US 64 . Some divided routes , such as US 19E and US 19W , exist to provide two alignments for one route. Special routes, which can be labeled as alternate, bypass or business, depending on the intended use, provide a parallel routing to the mainline U.S. Highway. Before the U.S. Routes were designated, auto trails designated by auto trail associations were the main means of marking roads through
1962-745: Is in the process of eliminating all intrastate U.S. Highways less than 300 miles (480 km) in length "as rapidly as the State Highway Department and the Standing Committee on Highways of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials can reach agreement with reference thereto". New additions to the system must serve more than one state and "substantially meet the current AASHTO design standards ". A version of this policy has been in place since 1937. The original major transcontinental routes in 1925, along with
2071-908: Is unique, in that it is the only existing instance of a N/S split of a U.S. Route (all the others are E/W splits). Furthermore, US-70 does not "disappear" at these splits; thus, these two highways both co-exist with the main route and serve as additional branches. US-70N begins in Lebanon , just east of Nashville , and ends in Crossville ; US-70S begins in the Bellevue neighborhood of southwest Nashville, and ends in Sparta (a few miles west of Crossville). Historically, both split routes began in Pegram and ended in Crossville. The original designation for US-70 between Lebanon and Sparta
2180-656: The Gulf Freeway carried US 75 , the Pasadena Freeway carried US 66 , and the Pulaski Skyway carries US 1 and US 9 . The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 appropriated funding for the Interstate Highway System, to construct a vast network of freeways across the country. By 1957, AASHO had decided to assign a new grid to the new routes, to be numbered in the opposite directions as
2289-510: The Indian Nation Turnpike . U.S. 271 also splits off at this interchange, continuing the freeway southbound from the turnpike. U.S. 70 then heads through downtown Hugo. It then bypasses Idabel to the north (with Bypass U.S. 70 providing a western and southern bypass). It then meets U.S. 259 and State Highway 3 northeast of town and overlaps them into Broken Bow , forming a wrong-way concurrency with SH-3. U.S. 70 then splits off to
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#17328733814222398-522: The Lee Highway ), and the two highways are concurrent from the junction intersection eastward through Farragut and into Knoxville . In Farragut and west of downtown Knoxville U.S. 70 carries the name Kingston Pike . Neyland Drive carries U.S. 70 along the Tennessee River to a junction with Hall of Fame Drive. On the east side of Knoxville it becomes concurrent with U.S. 25W and U.S. 11E and carries
2507-603: The New England states got together to establish the six-state New England Interstate Routes . Behind the scenes, the federal aid program had begun with the passage of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , providing 50% monetary support from the federal government for improvement of major roads. The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 limited the routes to 7% of each state's roads, while 3 in every 7 roads had to be "interstate in character". Identification of these main roads
2616-528: The Pacific coast . Many local disputes arose related to the committee's choices between designation of two roughly equal parallel routes, which were often competing auto trails. At their January meeting, AASHO approved the first two of many split routes (specifically US 40 between Manhattan, Kansas and Limon, Colorado and US 50 between Baldwin City, Kansas and Garden City, Kansas ). In effect, each of
2725-616: The Sacramento Mountains . The waters of La Luz and Fresnal creeks are used by both the much larger city of Alamogordo, just to the south of La Luz and by La Luz in a ditch or acequia system. The City of Alamogordo has constructed a large reservoir to the south of La Luz to impound these waters. Native Americans lived in the area for thousands of years prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the late 16th Century. The Mescalero Apache homelands covered an area of south-central New Mexico including
2834-415: The auto trails which they roughly replaced, were as follows: US 10, US 60, and US 90 only ran about two thirds of the way across the country, while US 11 and US 60 ran significantly diagonally. US 60's violation of two of the conventions would prove to be one of the major sticking points; US 60 eventually was designated as US 66 in 1926, and later it became
2943-500: The automobile , and earlier, American highways were disorganized affairs of widely varying quality. Highways were known by a bewildering variety of names which typically changed at each town. And they were only named, not numbered. During the 1910s the first national highway was conceived: the Lincoln Highway , named in honor of Abraham Lincoln , stretching across the northern United States from coast to coast. A companion effort
3052-409: The 1940s and 1950s to adopt the same number as the U.S. Route they connected to – mostly in the western provinces. Examples include British Columbia 's highways 93 , 95 , 97 , and 99 ; Manitoba 's highways 59 , 75 , and 83 ; or Ontario King's Highway 71 . The reverse happened with U.S. Route 57 , originally a Texas state highway numbered to match Mexican Federal Highway 57 . In the 1950s,
3161-510: The CDP was $ 15,258. About 10.9% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 30.2% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over. It is zoned to Alamogordo Public Schools . La Luz Elementary School is the zoned elementary school of the area, while Chaparral Middle School is the zoned middle school. Alamogordo High School is the district's comprehensive high school. La Luz School District consolidated into
3270-477: The CDP. The population density was 150.7 inhabitants per square mile (58.2/km ). There were 738 housing units at an average density of 68.9 per square mile (26.6/km ). The racial makeup of the CDP was 84.71% White , 0.43% African American , 1.24% Native American , 0.56% Asian , 10.40% from other races , and 2.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31.70% of the population. There were 648 households, out of which 31.0% had children under
3379-478: The Gulf Coast. The longest routes connecting major cities are generally numbered to end in a 1 or a 0; however, extensions and truncations have made this distinction largely meaningless. These guidelines are very rough, and exceptions to all of the basic numbering rules exist. The numbering system also extended beyond the borders of the United States in an unofficial manner. Many Canadian highways were renumbered in
U.S. Route 70 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3488-640: The Light). Early maps of the area include this notation and La Luz Canyon may have served as an early pass over the Sacramento Mountains connecting with the Peñasco river, which eventually flows into the Pecos River near present-day Artesia, New Mexico. The Sacramento Mountains reach a height of 9,000 feet. It is well documented that a large group of Hispanic settlers came to the area around 1864 leaving villages along
3597-481: The Lincoln County War. The arrival of the railroad in the area brought rapid change to the area. The railroad reached El Paso, ninety miles to the south, in 1882. Charles B. Eddy and partners constructed a branch line from El Paso northward to exploit the timber resources of the Sacramento Mountains and coal deposits further north near present-day White Oaks, New Mexico. The establishment of the railroad resulted in
3706-589: The Little Rock area, paralleled by I-40 . U.S. 70 continues its alignment near I-40 throughout eastern Arkansas, generally about two or three miles (5 km) apart. I-40 bypasses Forrest City to the north, while U.S. 70 serves the city center. The two routes remain close through West Memphis, Arkansas , where U.S. 70 runs along Broadway Blvd. Finally, U.S. 70 joins with I-55 to cross the Mississippi River into Tennessee. US 70 enters Tennessee , as well as
3815-596: The Northeast, New York held out for fewer routes designated as US highways. The Pennsylvania representative, who had not attended the local meetings, convinced AASHO to add a dense network of routes, which had the effect of giving six routes termini along the state line. (Only US 220 still ends near the state line, and now it ends at an intersection with future I-86 .) Because US 20 seemed indirect, passing through Yellowstone National Park , Idaho and Oregon requested that US 30 be swapped with US 20 to
3924-737: The Rio Grande in the vicinity of present-day Socorro, New Mexico, after devastating floods had occurred. These settlers founded the Village of Tularosa along the banks of Tularosa Creek and established a large acequia system and agricultural area. Anglo settlers arrived in increasing numbers in the area especially after the Civil War with some establishing large ranches in the Tularosa Basin and nearby areas to supply beef to nearby Fort Stanton. Increasing rivalries between various competing factions would result in
4033-520: The Sacramento Mountains and the Tularosa Basin. Today, the ancestral homelands of the Apache have been reduced to those lands contained in the Mescalero Apache Reservation, approximately 30 miles northeast of La Luz. There is some dispute over the founding of La Luz. By some accounts, it was founded by Franciscan friars as early as the 18th Century and called Nuestra Señora De La Luz (Our Lady of
4142-425: The U.S. Highway System remains in place to this day and new routes are occasionally added to the system. In general, U.S. Routes do not have a minimum design standard, unlike the later Interstate Highways , and are not usually built to freeway standards. Some stretches of U.S. Routes do meet those standards. Many are designated using the main streets of the cities and towns through which they run. New additions to
4251-739: The U.S. Highway grid. Though the Interstate numbers were to supplement—rather than replace—the U.S. Route numbers, in many cases (especially in the West ) the US highways were rerouted along the new Interstates. Major decommissioning of former routes began with California 's highway renumbering in 1964 . The 1985 removal of US 66 is often seen as the end of an era of US highways. A few major connections not served by Interstate Highways include US 6 from Hartford, Connecticut, to Providence, Rhode Island and US 93 from Phoenix, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada, though
4360-529: The US Highway system, three-digit numbers are assigned to spurs of one or two-digit routes. US 201 , for example, splits from US 1 at Brunswick, Maine , and runs north to Canada. Not all spurs travel in the same direction as their "parents"; some are connected to their parents only by other spurs, or not at all, instead only traveling near their parents, Also, a spur may travel in different cardinal directions than its parent, such as US 522 , which
4469-477: The US highway, which did not end in zero, but was still seen as a satisfyingly round number. Route 66 came to have a prominent place in popular culture, being featured in song and films. With 32 states already marking their routes, the plan was approved by AASHO on November 11, 1926. This plan included a number of directionally split routes, several discontinuous routes (including US 6 , US 19 and US 50 ), and some termini at state lines. By
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4578-630: The United States. These were private organizations, and the system of road marking at the time was haphazard and not uniform. In 1925, the Joint Board on Interstate Highways , recommended by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), worked to form a national numbering system to rationalize the roads. After several meetings, a final report was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in November 1925. After getting feedback from
4687-526: The Wendover Avenue expressway, which takes the route out of town towards Burlington. It downgrades to a two lane rural road heading out of Greensboro, and again parallels north of I-40 / I-85 . Entering Alamance County, it expands to a four-lane expressway through the city of Burlington , then returns to 2 lanes through Mebane , Efland and Hillsborough . It joins I-85 briefly in Eno, then veers southeast through
4796-420: The age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.95. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under
4905-459: The age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $ 28,625, and the median income for a family was $ 29,719. Males had a median income of $ 30,213 versus $ 21,563 for females. The per capita income for
5014-471: The approval of the states along the former US 60. But Missouri and Oklahoma did object—Missouri had already printed maps, and Oklahoma had prepared signs. A compromise was proposed, in which US 60 would split at Springfield, Missouri , into US 60E and US 60N, but both sides objected. The final solution resulted in the assignment of US 66 to the Chicago-Los Angeles portion of
5123-405: The auto trail associations were not able to formally address the meetings. However, as a compromise, they talked with the Joint Board members. The associations finally settled on a general agreement with the numbering plans, as named trails would still be included. The tentative system added up to 81,000 miles (130,000 km), 2.8% of the public road mileage at the time. The second full meeting
5232-448: The city of Ardmore , where it briefly heads south on Interstate 35 , bypassing the central business district. US-70 serves as the southern terminus of U.S. 177 in Madill . U.S. 70 then heads to Durant , where it has an interchange with the U.S. 69 / 75 freeway. East of Soper , U.S.70 joins with U.S.271 . The two routes then approach Hugo , where they serve as the southern terminus of
5341-580: The city of Memphis , concurrent with Interstate 55 , US 61 , US 64 , and US 79 . At exit 12, the northernmost exit on I-55 in the state, I-55 turns south; however, the four US routes continue east onto the at-grade Crump Boulevard. US 61 splits from the concurrency soon afterward, heading south along 3rd Street to exit the city for Walls, Mississippi and points south. US 64, 70 and 79, however, remain overlapped through downtown Memphis, following Danny Thomas Boulevard north to Union Avenue, Union east to East Parkway (briefly overlapping with U.S. Route 51 along
5450-418: The city, U.S. 79 breaks from U.S. 70, following U.S. 70 Alternate out of the city to the northeast. U.S. 70, now concurrent with only its unsigned designation of State Route 1 , heads east, interchanging with I-40 at exit 66 before entering Jackson . The route continues northeastward from the city, meeting I-40 once more at exit 87 just outside the city limits. At Huntingdon , U.S. 70 Alternate rejoins US 70 as
5559-625: The concurrent I-40/ I-65 immediately west of the city center. The route turns south, acting as collector/distributor roads for I-40/I-65 for two blocks before joining U.S. 431 and U.S. 70S on a brief overlap. At an intersection with the concurrent U.S. 31 / U.S. 41 , U.S. 431 and U.S. 70S split from U.S. 70. U.S. 70 progresses eastward, roughly paralleling the Cumberland River to an interchange with State Route 155 east of downtown. U.S. 70, now paired with State Route 24 , heads east out of Nashville to Lebanon , where U.S. Route 70N breaks from
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#17328733814225668-652: The downtown area, it breaks from the US ;19/23 freeway onto city streets and through Beaucatcher Tunnel as it goes east; paralleling north of I-40 , going through the cities Marion , Morganton , Hickory , Conover and Statesville . From there, it goes southeast to Salisbury , where it starts to parallel I-85 north through Lexington , Thomasville , High Point and Greensboro , in concurrency with I-85 Bus / US 29 . US 70 passes through Greensboro in concurrency with Interstate 40, Interstate 85 Business, then US Routes 29 and 220 briefly, then heads east through
5777-496: The downtown areas of both Durham and Raleigh . After a brief overlap with I-40 near Garner , it continues in a southeasterly direction, briefly concurrent with Interstate 42 , as it goes through or bypasses the cities of Clayton , Smithfield , Selma , Goldsboro and Kinston . Near and through New Bern , US 70 briefly becomes a freeway but returns to expressway grade as it goes through Havelock . After passing through Morehead City and Beaufort , it drops back to
5886-478: The east in Broken Bow before leaving the state. U.S. 70 enters Arkansas eight miles (13 km) west of De Queen , and crosses through the north part of the town where it meets the combined U.S. 71 / U.S. 59 and overlaps with it for 8 mi (13 km). It then heads northeast to Dierks , where it begins a concurrency with U.S. 278 . U.S. 70 then heads east-northeast to Hot Springs , which it bypasses to
5995-521: The eastern edge of the Tularosa Basin and on the western flank of the Sacramento Mountains . Until 1848, La Luz was a part of Mexico . The CDP gets its name from the Spanish word for "light". According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 10.7 square miles (28 km ), all land. La Luz sits at the opening of La Luz Canyon Creek, whose headwaters are high in
6104-422: The fact that it was replaced in its entirety by I-10 . Therefore, the current State Route 70 bears no relation to this highway. Robert Mitchum and Don Raye 's song, " The Ballad of Thunder Road " immortalized in the 1958 film of the same name , follows a family of anarchistic moonshiners who engage in run-ins with the police. The Mitchum film is based on a real life incident in which a moonshiner perishes on
6213-407: The first documented person to drive an automobile from San Francisco to New York using only a connection of dirt roads, cow paths, and railroad beds. His journey, covered by the press, became a national sensation and called for a system of long-distance roads. In the early 1910s, auto trail organizations—most prominently the Lincoln Highway —began to spring up, marking and promoting routes for
6322-405: The founding of Alamogordo in 1898 just a few miles south of La Luz. Eddy then constructed a branch into the Sacramento Mountains that went through La Luz and climbed to approximately 9,000 feet within the span of a few miles. Often referred to as the "Cloud Climbing Railroad" it was an engineering marvel. The mountain section of the railroad was dismantled in the early 1940s. The Village of Cloudcroft
6431-509: The heading for each route. All reports of the Special Committee on Route Numbering since 1989 use "U.S. Route", and federal laws relating to highways use "United States Route" or "U.S. Route" more often than the "Highway" variants. The use of U.S. Route or U.S. Highway on a local level depends on the state, with some states such as Delaware using "route" and others such as Colorado using "highway". In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson became
6540-550: The highway remains divided until US 70 and US 54 diverge. After splitting off to the northeast, U.S. 70 begins an ascent into the Sacramento Mountains and enters the Lincoln National Forest . The road then runs across the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation and near the resort town of Ruidoso . In Hondo , it begins another concurrency, this time with U.S. 380 . U.S. 70 then bypasses Roswell to
6649-509: The intersection with Arkansas Highway 300. Continuing northeast through Little Rock, U.S. 70 turns east again at Roosevelt Road, before turning north through downtown Little Rock as Broadway Street, with during which it crosses Interstate 630 before crossing the Arkansas River into North Little Rock . It then crosses Interstate Highway 30, and serves as the northern terminus of U.S. Route 165 . U.S. 70 then crosses Interstate 440 and leaves
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#17328733814226758-468: The latter is planned to be upgraded to Interstate 11 . Three state capitals in the contiguous U.S. are served only by U.S. Routes: Dover, Delaware ; Jefferson City, Missouri ; and Pierre, South Dakota . In 1995, the National Highway System was defined to include both the Interstate Highway System and other roads designated as important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility. AASHTO
6867-514: The lowest numbers in the east and the highest in the west, while east-to-west highways are typically even-numbered, with the lowest numbers in the north, and the highest in the south, though the grid guidelines are not rigidly followed, and many exceptions exist. Major north–south routes generally have numbers ending in "1", while major east–west routes usually have numbers ending in "0". Three-digit numbered highways are generally spur routes of parent highways; for example, U.S. Route 264 (US 264)
6976-519: The main US 70. US 70 heads southeast, passing through Smithville before rejoining U.S. 70S in Sparta and U.S. 70N to the east in Crossville . From Crossville eastward to the North Carolina state line, U.S. 70 closely parallels I-40, passing through the Roane County cities of Rockwood and Kingston . At Dixie Lee Junction in eastern Loudon County U.S. 70 intersects U.S. 11 (also known as
7085-487: The main east–west thoroughfares in the nation. It was also promoted as the "Treasure Trail" by the U.S. Highway 70 Association as of 1951. In the early years, US 70 had a different route between Clovis, New Mexico and eastern Arizona , taking the route of current US 60 and US 180 to an endpoint in Holbrook. US 70 was later re-routed to El Paso, Texas , when US 60 was extended to California. US 70
7194-421: The main route turns to the east toward New Johnsonville , where it crosses the Tennessee River . From the river, U.S. 70 continues eastward through Waverly and Dickson to the Nashville area. Southwest of the city near Pegram , U.S. Route 70S splits off from U.S. 70; however, U.S. 70 now continues to be signed as U.S. 70 instead of U.S. 70N, as it was formerly. U.S. 70 follows I-40 into Nashville, meeting
7303-418: The many fruits that are grown in the area including figs, apricots, plums and peaches. Apples, cherries, and pears are grown in the higher elevations in the canyon areas to the east of the village. The surrounding area also has a number of vineyards and pistachio groves. A number of artists also reside in the area. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,615 people, 648 households, and 463 families residing in
7412-416: The more colorful names and historic value of the auto trail systems. The New York Times wrote, "The traveler may shed tears as he drives the Lincoln Highway or dream dreams as he speeds over the Jefferson Highway , but how can he get a 'kick' out of 46, 55 or 33 or 21?" (A popular song later promised, " Get your kicks on Route 66! ") The writer Ernest McGaffey was quoted as saying, "Logarithms will take
7521-567: The name Asheville Highway from Knoxville to the community of Trentville in eastern Knox County . At Trentville, U.S. 11E separates from the concurrency. U.S. 25W remains overlapped with U.S. 70 to Newport , where U.S. 70 is joined by U.S. 25E , which becomes US 25 . U.S. 25 and U.S. 70 remain concurrent into North Carolina . US 70 enters North Carolina as a two-lane road in concurrency with US 25 . Going southeast, it widens to four-lane near Marshall , merging farther down with I-26 / US 19 / US 23 going into Asheville . In
7630-467: The new recreation of long-distance automobile travel. The Yellowstone Trail was another of the earliest examples. While many of these organizations worked with towns and states along the route to improve the roadways, others simply chose a route based on towns that were willing to pay dues, put up signs, and did little else. Wisconsin was the first state in the U.S. to number its highways , erecting signs in May 1918. Other states soon followed. In 1922,
7739-423: The northwest, together with U.S. 285 . U.S. 70 then heads off to the northeast, running through Portales and Clovis before entering Texas at Texico . From mile 170.6 to mile 197.25 on US 70 the speed limit is posted at 75 mph (120 km/h) across White Sands Missile Range. (26.6-mile stretch) just slightly longer than a standard marathon. US 70 is one of only two non-interstate roadways in New Mexico to receive
7848-458: The numbering grid for the new Interstate Highway System was established as intentionally opposite from the US grid insofar as the direction the route numbers increase. Interstate Highway numbers increase from west-to-east and south-to-north, to keep identically numbered routes geographically apart in order to keep them from being confused with one another, and it omits 50 and 60 which would potentially conflict with US 50 and US 60 . In
7957-487: The optional routes into another route. In 1934, AASHO tried to eliminate many of the split routes by removing them from the log, and designating one of each pair as a three-digit or alternate route, or in one case US 37 . AASHO described its renumbering concept in the October 1934 issue of American Highways : "Wherever an alternate route is not suitable for its own unique two-digit designation, standard procedure assigns
8066-453: The other states. Many states agreed in general with the scope of the system, but believed the Midwest to have added too many routes to the system. The group adopted the shield, with few modifications from the original sketch, at that meeting, as well as the decision to number rather than name the routes. A preliminary numbering system, with eight major east–west and ten major north–south routes,
8175-412: The place of legends, and 'hokum' for history." When the U.S. numbered system was started in 1925, a few optional routings were established which were designated with a suffixed letter after the number indicating "north", "south", "east", or "west". While a few roads in the system are still numbered in this manner, AASHO believes that they should be eliminated wherever possible, by the absorption of one of
8284-615: The present alignment, jogging a bit farther around the AR 15 junction. It was built about 1913, and some of its original bituminous pavement survives. It was replaced by the present alignment in 1930–31. Between Florence, Arizona and Wickenburg, Arizona, US 70 ran concurrently with both US 60 and US 89. Currently, a portion of US 70 in Greensboro runs concurrently with US 29/ US 220, I-40, and soon-to-be-removed I-85 Business. On 5 October 2019, NCDOT submitted an application to AASHTO, and
8393-745: The road on the Kingston Pike stretch of Highway 70 in Knoxville while on the run from the police, although the actual filming did not take place on Highway 70. Old and bypassed sections of US 70 exist, and at least one such road section has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places . It is located in Lonoke County, Arkansas , between Young Road and point east of the present US 70's junction with Arkansas Highway 15 . About 4 miles (6.4 km) long, it runs mostly parallel to, and just north of,
8502-589: The route and the nominal direction of travel. Second, they are displayed at intersections with other major roads, so that intersecting traffic can follow their chosen course. Third, they can be displayed on large green guide signs that indicate upcoming interchanges on freeways and expressways. Since 1926, some divided routes were designated to serve related areas, and designate roughly-equivalent splits of routes. For instance, US 11 splits into US 11E (east) and US 11W (west) in Bristol, Virginia , and
8611-468: The route was cancelled due to US 70. U.S. 183 splits away from U.S. 70 three miles (4.8 km) north of the state line, in the town of Davidson . It then has an interchange (Exit 5) with I-44 , serving as the southern terminus of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike , one mile (1.6 km) west of the town of Randlett . U.S. 70 then passes south of Waurika . U.S. 70 then becomes a four-lane divided highway near Wilson and runs through Lone Grove before entering
8720-580: The routes rejoin in Knoxville, Tennessee . Occasionally only one of the two routes is suffixed; US 6N in Pennsylvania does not rejoin US 6 at its west end. AASHTO has been trying to eliminate these since 1934; its current policy is to deny approval of new split routes and to eliminate existing ones "as rapidly as the State Highway Department and the Standing Committee on Highways can reach agreement with reference thereto". Special routes —those with
8829-500: The same large, bold numerals on a square-dimension shield, while 3-digit routes may either use the same shield with a narrower font, or a wider rectangular-dimension shield. Special routes may be indicated with a banner above the route number, or with a letter suffixed to the route number. Signs are generally displayed in several different locations. First, they are shown along the side of the route at regular intervals or after major intersections (called reassurance markers ), which shows
8938-461: The south on a freeway alignment shared with U.S. 270 . U.S. 70 then heads east to join with Interstate 30 at Exit 111 south of Benton . The two highways run concurrently to the state capital, Little Rock , where U.S. 70 splits off from I-30 at Interstate 430 at Exit 129. U.S. 70 follows Interstate Highway 430 for 1 mile to Exit 1 (Stagecoach Road), where it overlaps Arkansas Highway 5 heading northeast into Little Rock, becoming Colonel Glenn Rd at
9047-555: The south to begin a concurrency with US 62 in Floydada . The two routes head east to Paducah, where US 62 splits off to the north to join with U.S. 83 . U.S. 70 then proceeds to Vernon , where it overlaps U.S. 287 and U.S. 183 (and has a junction with U.S. 283 ). Near Oklaunion, U.S. 70/183 split off to the north to cross the Red River into Oklahoma . The route through Texas was cosigned with Texas State Highway 28 before 1939. SH 28
9156-488: The southwest to Oklahoma City , from where it ran west to Los Angeles . Kentucky strongly objected to this designated route, as it had been left off any of the major east–west routes, instead receiving the US ;62 designation. In January 1926, the committee designated this, along with the part of US 52 east of Ashland, Kentucky , as US 60 . They assigned US 62 to the Chicago-Los Angeles route, contingent on
9265-522: The splits in US 11 , US 19 , US 25 , US 31 , US 45 , US 49 , US 73 , and US 99 . For the most part, the U.S. Routes were the primary means of inter-city vehicle travel; the main exceptions were toll roads such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike and parkway routes such as the Merritt Parkway . Many of the first high-speed roads were U.S. Highways:
9374-620: The states, they are sometimes called Federal Highways , but the roadways were built and have always been maintained by state or local governments since their initial designation in 1926. The route numbers and locations are coordinated by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The only federal involvement in AASHTO is a nonvoting seat for the United States Department of Transportation . Generally, most north-to-south highways are odd-numbered, with
9483-548: The states, they made several modifications; the U.S. Highway System was approved on November 11, 1926. Expansion of the U.S. Highway System continued until 1956, when the Interstate Highway System was laid out and began construction under the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower . After the national implementation of the Interstate Highway System, many U.S. Routes that had been bypassed or overlaid with Interstate Highways were decommissioned and removed from
9592-532: The system, however, must "substantially meet the current AASHTO design standards ". As of 1989, the United States Numbered Highways system had a total length of 157,724 miles (253,832 km). Except for toll bridges and tunnels , very few U.S. Routes are toll roads . AASHTO policy says that a toll road may only be included as a special route , and that "a toll-free routing between the same termini shall continue to be retained and marked as
9701-491: The system. In some places, the U.S. Routes remain alongside the Interstates and serve as a means for interstate travelers to access local services and as secondary feeder roads or as important major arteries in their own right. In other places, where there are no nearby Interstate Highways, the U.S. Routes often remain as the most well-developed roads for long-distance travel. While the system's growth has slowed in recent decades,
9810-540: The time the first route log was published in April 1927, major numbering changes had been made in Pennsylvania in order to align the routes to the existing auto trails. In addition, U.S. Route 15 had been extended across Virginia . Much of the early criticism of the U.S. Highway System focused on the choice of numbers to designate the highways, rather than names. Some thought a numbered highway system to be cold compared to
9919-543: The two routes received the same number, with a directional suffix indicating its relation to the other. These splits were initially shown in the log as—for instance—US 40 North and US 40 South, but were always posted as simply US 40N and US 40S. The most heated argument, however, was the issue of US 60. The Joint Board had assigned that number to the Chicago-Los Angeles route, which ran more north–south than west–east in Illinois, and then angled sharply to
10028-468: The two-digit routes, three-digit routes have been added, removed, extended and shortened; the "parent-child" relationship is not always present. AASHTO guidelines specifically prohibit Interstate Highways and U.S. Routes from sharing a number within the same state. As with other guidelines, exceptions exist across the U.S. Some two-digit numbers have never been applied to any U.S. Route, including 37, 39, 47, 86, and 88. Route numbers are displayed on
10137-471: The unqualified number to the older or shorter route, while the other route uses the same number marked by a standard strip above its shield carrying the word 'Alternate'." Most states adhere to this approach. However, some maintain legacy routes that violate the rules in various ways. Examples can be found in California , Mississippi , Nebraska , Oregon , and Tennessee . In 1952, AASHO permanently recognized
10246-484: The western portion of Union), then East Parkway north to Summer Avenue, where the triple concurrency turns east. Near the city line, US 64/70/79 interchanges with Interstate 40 at exit 12A. Past the Memphis city limits in the suburb of Bartlett , U.S. 64 separates from U.S. 70/79, taking a more southerly routing through the state. U.S. 70 and US 79, meanwhile, head to the northeast, paralleling I-40 to Brownsville . East of
10355-659: Was decommissioned in favor of Interstate 10 or US 60. After being removed from California, US 70 ended at the California/Arizona state line in Ehrenberg until 1969, when it was further truncated to its current endpoint in Globe. US 70, unlike many other decommissioned US Highways in California, doesn't have a state route that was numbered after it and taking over its path (unlike US 60, which had State Route 60 to replace it), due to
10464-689: Was also chosen, based on the shield found on the Great Seal of the United States . The auto trail associations rejected the elimination of the highway names. Six regional meetings were held to hammer out the details—May 15 for the West , May 27 for the Mississippi Valley , June 3 for the Great Lakes , June 8 for the South , June 15 for the North Atlantic , and June 15 for New England . Representatives of
10573-499: Was both praised and criticized by local newspapers, often depending on whether that city was connected to a major route. While the Lincoln Highway Association understood and supported the plan, partly because they were assured of getting the US 30 designation as much as possible, most other trail associations lamented their obsolescence. At their January 14–15, 1926 meeting, AASHO was flooded with complaints. In
10682-480: Was changed yet again and US 70 was rerouted to California through Las Cruces, New Mexico , Deming , Globe, Arizona and Phoenix to a junction with U.S. Route 99 around Mecca . Between Globe and its new western end in California, US 70 was paired with US 60. A year later, US 70 was extended along Valley Boulevard and reached downtown Los Angeles at U.S. Route 101 running concurrent with US 99 and/or US 60 throughout its course west of Globe. Beginning in 1964 it
10791-519: Was completed in 1923. The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), formed in 1914 to help establish roadway standards, began to plan a system of marked and numbered "interstate highways" at its 1924 meeting. AASHO recommended that the Secretary of Agriculture work with the states to designate these routes. Secretary Howard M. Gore appointed the Joint Board on Interstate Highways , as recommended by AASHO, on March 2, 1925. The Board
10900-418: Was composed of 21 state highway officials and three federal Bureau of Public Roads officials. At the first meeting, on April 20 and 21, the group chose the name "U.S. Highway" as the designation for the routes. They decided that the system would not be limited to the federal-aid network; if the best route did not receive federal funds, it would still be included. The tentative design for the U.S. Route shield
11009-509: Was deferred to a numbering committee "without instructions". After working with states to get their approval, the committee expanded the highway system to 75,800 miles (122,000 km), or 2.6% of total mileage, over 50% more than the plan approved August 4. The skeleton of the numbering plan was suggested on August 27 by Edwin Warley James of the BPR, who matched parity to direction, and laid out
11118-522: Was designated in 1919 as a route from Muleshoe to Olney with a spur, SH 28A , from SH 28 at Crowell east to the Oklahoma border. In 1922, the route split in Benjamin , going south to Sagerton and east to Olney. In 1926, The portion from Crowell to Sagerton became SH 51 , while the portion from Benjamin to Olney became SH 24 . SH 28 was instead rerouted over SH 28A to end at the Oklahoma border. By 1939,
11227-454: Was established in the Sacramento Mountains and offered residents of El Paso an escape from the heat during the summer. Eddy's partner and lawyer for the railroad, William Ashton Hawkins, established a farm and large home which still stands in La Luz. In the early Twentieth Century, Rowland Hazard III (1882–1945), the heir of an industrial fortune from Rhode Island, came to the area and established
11336-530: Was granted approval, for the relocation of US 70 in Greensboro, High Point, and Thomasville. The state plan calls for the US Highway to remain on Wendover Avenue and NC Highway 68 in the cities of Greensboro and High Point, respectively, towards Thomasville. According to NCDOT, this will give the US Highway a more direct, continuous route through the cities of Greensboro and High Point, and improve safety and regional connectivity. In Tennessee, US-70 has two additional branches: US-70N and US-70S . This split
11445-424: Was held August 3 and 4, 1925. At that meeting, discussion was held over the appropriate density of routes. William F. Williams of Massachusetts and Frederick S. Greene of New York favored a system of only major transcontinental highways, while many states recommended a large number of roads of only regional importance. Greene in particular intended New York's system to have four major through routes as an example to
11554-622: Was later re-routed again west of Alamogordo, New Mexico along its current route to Globe, as well as being concurrent with US 60 to a common terminus in Los Angeles, California . U.S. 70 begins in Globe at a junction with U.S. Route 60 , concurrent with State Route 77 . SR 77 splits off east of town. U.S. 70 then enters the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation and runs southeast for 17 miles (27 km) to Peridot , where it crosses Indian Route 9 . It has no other highway junctions until Safford , where it begins
11663-971: Was launched to create a transcontinental highway stretching across the southern half of the country, this one named in honor of Confederate States of America general Robert E. Lee . The two highways were a revolution of sorts, in that a driver could follow a single road from coast to coast bearing the same designation. Much of today's U.S. 70 was formerly the Lee Highway, although that was later removed. When originally commissioned on 11 November 1926, U.S. Route 70 ran between Beaufort, North Carolina and U.S. Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona . This older route ran from present day US 70 in Clovis, New Mexico through Vaughn , Willard (where former child route U.S. Route 470 branched off to Albuquerque ) and Springerville, Arizona before finally reaching US 66 in Holbrook. In 1932, US 70
11772-408: Was rerouted to El Paso, Texas from Clovis along what is today U.S. Route 54 . The re-routing temporarily removed US 70 entirely from Arizona. The old route to Holbrook was replaced by U.S. Route 60 and U.S. Route 260 . That same year, the eastern terminus of US 70 was extended to Atlantic, North Carolina , where it remains to this day (albeit in a slightly different location). In 1934, the routing
11881-436: Was state route 26. There are currently two active alternate routes, all signed and marked on maps as US 70A. United States highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways ) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States . As the designation and numbering of these highways were coordinated among
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